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Oil Show Assistant Embezzles $103,000

Posted on: Thursday, 6 October 2005, 00:00 CDT

By Laura Dennis, Odessa American, Texas

Oct. 5--A longtime employee of the Permian Basin International Oil Show will spend the next 10 years trying to pay back more than $103,000 that she admitted embezzling from the world's largest inland trade show.

Elva Diane Milton, a former administrative assistant at the PBIOS, pled guilty in 70th District Judge Jay Gibson's court on Aug. 29, 2005, to embezzlement.

The oil show is a premier oil industry show that attracts thousands to Odessa and is held in even-numbered years at the Ector County Coliseum.

District Attorney John Smith prosecuted Milton and said she was sentenced to 10 years probation and ordered to pay full restitution and court costs.

Smith said he called in the Texas Rangers to investigate the case. He said the Rangers found that between Oct. 1, 2001, and April 20, 2005, that Milton had set up a dummy bank account and diverted exhibitor funds into that account.

"She didn't divert all the funds but enough of them to take over $100,000," Smith said.

She was discovered, Smith said, because she was making duplicate payroll checks. PBIOS officials contacted Smith who called the Rangers to dig deeper into the case.

"At the time I thought it would be $15,000 to $20,000," Smith said.

Texas Ranger Jeremy Wallace did the investigation and subpoenaed bank accounts and interviewed Milton. Smith said Milton confessed and then pled in Gibson's court. Wallace did not immediately return phone calls for comment.

"From time to time, I'm amazed at how much money people are able to embezzle," Smith said.

He said it is typical for victims of embezzlement to first want the embezzler to go to prison "for life.""I say OK and we can try to do that, but if they go to prison, you will never see a dime of the money back," Smith said.

The only way for restitution, he said, is for the embezzler to go on probation. "I always leave it up to the victim and how they want me to proceed. Most end up wanting as much back as they can get," he said.

Gibson said the crime is a second degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

He said Milton is ordered to pay $1,120 a month during her probation to pay off the amount she embezzled.

Odessa attorney Dan Hollmann represents the PBIOS and said the DA handled the case well and that the oil show is insured and making a claim for recovery.

"Our position is we have taken steps to correct any deficiencies," Hollmann said.

New auditors and procedures are in place, added executive director Tony Fry of the A.D. Fry Co. Fry was named director this year and said the PBIOS will recover "just fine and new procedures are in place and will hopefully keep it from ever happening again."

Milton, who was represented by attorney Tracey Bright, said by phone on Tuesday that she was a 10-year employee of the PBIOS but declined to comment on her plea agreement.

Repeated calls to Bright were not returned Tuesday.

Smith said if Milton does not follow the guidelines of her probation and make restitution, the court will revoke her probation and she will go to jail.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Odessa American, Texas

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Source: Odessa American

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